South Carolina Motorcycle Rights Association

RIDING FREE FROM DC:

Your Weekly Biker Bulletin from Inside the Beltway

Your Motorcycle Riders Foundation team in Washington, D.C. is pleased to provide our members with the latest information and updates on issues that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. Count on your MRF to keep you informed about a range of matters that are critical to the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle. Published weekly when the U.S. Congress is in session.

Calls to Action
As we mentioned last week, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation will be rolling out a handful of calls to action with membership in the coming weeks. A call to action is the easiest way for you to contact your elected officials about the priorities of motorcyclists directly. It takes on average 2 minutes to fill out the basic contact information and reach out to your lawmakers. Part of the power of our movement comes from strength in numbers.

Your outreach helps build the foundation for what we are doing here in D.C. When we walk into an office, and the staff has seen dozens and dozens of letters about motorcycle issues, they are always more engaged and willing to listen.  

In just five days, over 1300 of you sent letters to Congress regarding H. Res 255, the motorcyclist profiling resolution. At least one letter was received by 312 of the Congressional offices. Meaning 72% of the House of Representatives heard from us. The state of New York is leading the charge with the most letters sent to their legislators on H. Res. 255. Let’s keep hammering these lawmakers until they understand we aren’t going away. If you haven’t already done the call to action, you can click here to get it done.

http://cqrcengage.com/mrf/app/write-a-letter?2&engagementId=505721

The more letters that are sent, the louder our voice is on Capitol Hill. We also encourage you to share the link with friends and other riders via email and social media. Sharing these links is a great way to introduce nonmembers to the MRF and our important mission here in D.C.

Keep your eyes open for more of these calls to action on different topics, and let’s keep the pressure

Regulatory Update: DOT Secretary Announces 3 Initiatives at TRB Meeting
Earlier this week, Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Chao spoke at the 99^th Annual Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting where she unveiled three new initiatives that the Department of Transportation recently endorsed.

The first announcement focused on the expansion of the Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety (PARTS) program which is voluntary between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the automobile industry.  The first phase of the project had six automobile manufacturers studying and sharing their collected data on Automatic Braking Technology.  The Secretary noted that “Vehicles with this technology reported 53% fewer rear-end collisions than vehicles without Automatic Emergency Braking Systems based upon preliminary data from the initial program.”   The second phase of the program, PARTS II, will increase the participation to nearly 70% of the automobile market and the working group will expand beyond automatic braking to include adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assistance.

Dovetailing on the automobile industry collaborating on Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS), the DOT endorsed “Clearing the Confusion,” a standardized listing of recommended ADAS terminology spearheaded by the National Safety Council, AAA, Consumer Reports and J.D. Power. The collaboration was an effort to standardize the language by manufacturers to help educate consumers on the functionality of ADAS systems and help ensure “drivers are aware that these systems are designed to assist, not replace an engaged driver.”

The final announcement focused on the DOT investing $38 million for First Responder Safety Technology Pilot Program that will help equip emergency response vehicles and key infrastructure with vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technology. The deployment will take advantage of the 5.9 GHz “safety band” that the FCC set aside for transportation over two decades ago but has not been utilized yet.  As we have reported before, the FCC voted to release the unused transportation spectrum to other industries citing the DOT’s failure to use this system.  While the ruling isn’t final, we are monitoring any changes from the FCC.  Some road safety advocates think keeping the 5.9GHz is essential the future of connected road safety while others argue that since no standardized system has been adopted by the DOT or automakers that other technologies can be used in place of the dedicated spectrum.

MRF Road Show
January and February are always a busy time for State Motorcycle Rights Organizations and it’s a popular time for SMRO Seminars and events. We at the MRF do our best to attend these state-level events and give in-person updates on what’s going on at the federal level. You can catch the MRF presenting at the following events this weekend: Tiffany Cipoletti will speak at the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists Lobby Day Meeting, Ryan Hubbard will speak to ABATE of Illinois’s State Seminar, Rocky Fox will be at the ABATE of Michigan’s Seminar and Jay Jackson will be at the Kentucky Freedom Fighter Forum for KMA/KBA. You can also catch representatives of the MRF at the following upcoming events: ABATE of Wisconsin’s officer's training, ABATE of Pennsylvania’s L&L, ABATE U with ABATE of Minnesota, ABATE of Ohio’s Legislative Seminar and Heartland STEAM hosted by ABATE of Illinois on April 3-4, 2020

Even if we can’t make it to your meeting or event, we have a presentation we can send you so your members are fully briefed on the legislative outlook for 2020. Just email Tiffany Cipoletti at tiffany@mrf.org for the PowerPoint.

About Motorcycle Riders Foundation
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. The MRF is chiefly concerned with issues at the national and international levels that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. The MRF is committed to being a national advocate for the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle and works in conjunction with its partners to help educate elected officials and policymakers in Washington and beyond.

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